Angels coach told 'they got all the cancer out'

Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher said he feels "normal, for the most part" two weeks after having surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his thyroid gland. PHOTO BY BILL PLUNKETT

When Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher was told there was a growth on his thyroid gland, "there was no doubt in my mind I didn't have anything wrong."

The biopsy showed a different result – papillary thyroid cancer.

"I thought maybe it was just a cyst. I read up on it on the Internet," said Butcher who had surgery two weeks ago to remove his thyroid gland and 14 lymph nodes. "I guess my immediate reaction (after getting the cancer diagnosis) was, 'Whoa.' You don't want to hear the 'C' word.

"I was kind of shocked a little bit. I wanted to know right away, 'Okay – what do we do? I want it out of me.'"

Two weeks post-surgery, Butcher has been assured that the cancer is gone. He was re-examined Wednesday by Dr. Kurt Heiland, the thyroid specialist who performed his surgery, and told that tests showed "they got all the cancer out."

"My energy level is good. I feel normal, for the most part," said Butcher who missed only the first two days of spring training and gradually stepped back into the daily workouts since then. "I feel like I can go through a full day with no problem now. I can't yell as loud as I want to. I won't be singing any time soon. But, for the most part, my voice is pretty much back to normal."

The next step for Butcher (who has a scar on his neck about three inches long) will be a March 8 appointment with an endrocrinologist to regulate his medication. Butcher will most likely have to take a radiation pill for some time (but chemotherapy is not expected) as well as thyroid medication.

But he has been assured that the cancer was caught early enough to make chances of a recurrence remote.

"I had papillary thyroid cancer – the friendliest type of cancer you can have," Butcher said, knowing how oxymoronic that sounds. "Everybody tells me if you're going to pick one out, that's the one want to pick. To me, you don't want to pick any of them out. But it's not the kind that really spreads. It's very slow-growing.

"My doctor (Heiland) was great. He sat and prayed with me before the surgery. He prayed with me after the surgery. The next day after the surgery, he said to me, 'Before you ask any questions, it's gone. It's out. You're going to be fine.'"

Heartened by numerous messages and letters from people in the baseball community as well as fans, Butcher was also reassured by conversations with Marcie Salmon, wife of former Angel Tim Salmon. Marcie had the same cancer and surgery over 10 years ago.

"You hear what you're going to go through, the steps, what to expect," Butcher said of talking to Marcie. "Knowing her like we know her, my family knows her and knowing that she's fine – she had no speed bumps in the road, she said her recovery was fine. ... Just knowing that she's healthy and fine, that's the biggest reassurance."

Butcher, 45, said he feels fortunate the nodule on his thyroid gland was detected early during a "totally unrelated" examination of his neck for some discomfort he was having due to bone spurs. He was told by doctors that papillary thyroid cancer "just kind of happens" and isn't tied to any particular behavior – like chewing tobacco. Nonetheless, Butcher said that is "something I won't do."

"You'll never see me with a dip – and I can say never. You'll never see me with tobacco in my mouth again," Butcher said. "I was never a heavy dipper. But when I look back on it, that's 20 years (of occasional use). So I guess that's heavy."

With only the issue of regulating his medication left to resolve, Butcher said he doesn't expect to have "any limitations at all" on handling his duties as pitching coach.

"No, I feel like I'm 100 percent right now," he said. "Just getting back here and seeing all the guys, that was the big thing. I couldn't wait to get here."

NOTES

Catching prospect Anel de los Santos slipped during a drill Wednesday and injured his left thumb. He was scheduled to be re-evaluated by doctors Thursday. Meanwhile, the Angels signed catcher Cole Armstrong to a minor-league deal. Armstrong, 27, has spent the past five seasons in the White Sox's organization, reaching Triple-A in 2008 and 2009. ... Right-hander Trevor Bell is scheduled to start for the Angels in their Cactus League opener against the Dodgers Saturday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Also scheduled to pitch are Eric Junge, Michael Kohn, Matt Meyer, Anthony Ortega and Garrett Richards.

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